As much as I’d love to be able to portray myself as some kind of Tom Good, forsaking the trappings of capitalistic society in order to grow veg and keeping chickens, it just isn’t true. I’m as much as a consumer whore as the next man.
Sure I’m pretty frugal about buying clothes. In fact I’m still wearing stuff I’ve had for over ten years. I’ve even seriously considered stopping dieting because it’s getting to the point that none of my trousers fit me anymore (I’ve got a pretty extensive collection, ranging from 44 inch waist to 38, but I’m beginning to stray dangerously close to the 36 inch boundary and so will have to make a choice between spending £100 or so on a new wardrobe or risk having my trousers periodically fall down around my ankles. I’ve yet to make my mind up as to which would be worse).
But gadgets on the other hand. Ahh, I’m a sucker for gadgets.
Take mp3 players for example. First I bought a generic player, then I bought won a classic iPod. Then I bought an iPod Touch. Then I lost my iPod Touch. Then I bought another iPod Touch. Then I bought an iPhone. All in all that’s probably well over £1000 worth of electronics, and if I’m honest I could have probably stuck with the first generic mp3 player without any real discernible impact on my quality of life.
At the moment I’m severely hankering after an Xbox.
No, not that sort of Xbox. That sort speaks funny and is always going on about his semen. No the type I want is the full circle one – the Xbox 360.
I don’t actually need an Xbox 360. In fact I’d probably hardly ever use an Xbox 360. I already have a neglected Nintendo Wii and a Playstation 2 gathering dust in various corners of the house that rarely get played on. Even putting aside the fact that I am absolutely rubbish at computer games and have the hand eye co-ordinaion of a dead wombat, I never actually have the free time to even power the things up.
But I want an Xbox 360.
Because very soon you’ll be able to buy this game for it:
I wants it, I wants my precious.
As you may remember my friends and I recently got back into the board game of Blood Bowl after a fifteen year break. I even created a blog dedicated to our league (seriously, you don’t want to click that link). I’m not doing too badly at the moment, having won three out of four of my matches with my mighty Norse team – The Frost Giants. But all of those wins were down to sheer luck and dice rolls rather than ability.
If I got this computer game however I’d be able to develop my tactical skills and become the all conquering Blood Bowl master that I’ve always had the potential to become. This in turn would lead to a vastly increased confidence in my real life, and consequently to increased financial earning power and sheer sexual prowess.
Or at least that’s what I’m telling Kerry anyhow.
We can’t afford for me to get an Xbox at the moment. In fact we can barely afford to put petrol in the car and buy food at the moment. But that doesn’t stop the cravings. I mentioned my desires on twitter and JJ Daddy-O responded:
I’ll hold out as long as you do… would love to play TF2 on Xbox instead of PC.
God knows what TF2 is. Probably some sort of hunting game (he is American after all). But I share his pain. In fact I’m not sure it isn’t my duty to bite the bullet and buy one just so I can put the poor guy out of his misery. It’s the only humane thing to do.
Unfortunately I’ve made a self imposed ruling that blocks such a mission of mercy. I’ve decided that I’m only allowed to buy one with money raised by selling some of the other crap I’ve accumulated over the years. So this has lead to me ransacking the attic and DVD shelves again looking for stuff to flog on eBay and Amazon marketplace.
It’s not going well so far. I’ve only actually managed to get £4.50, which is a fair bit off the hundred and sixty odd quid I need to fid to get the model I want. but all is not lost. I will persevere.
Anybody know anyone who wants to buy a kidney?
No related posts.
Ha, Team Fortress 2.
I am usually at least 2 generations behind on my video games, because a) I own no consoles (let alone 2 gathering dust) and b) we keep our PCs a disgustingly long time so that any game less than 2 or 3 years old will barely play on it.
I played Doom and Quake a forever and I only recently gave up Battlefield 1942/ Desert Combat, games that came out about 2003 (which is the Pleistocene in game years), for Team Fortress 2, which is a first person shooter as they say.
Buuuut, if I got an xbox, I could play TF2 on that as well as watch blu-ray discs on my recent gadget acquisition, a 40″ HDTV. And I wouldn’t have to fight my wife for the use of the PC, so it makes perfect sense, right?
.-= JJ Daddy-O´s last blog ..What I was doing this past April…. =-.
@JJ Daddy-O, Oh, and I don’t do huntin’ and fishin’ video games, those are dumb.
.-= JJ Daddy-O´s last blog ..What I was doing this past April…. =-.
@JJ Daddy-O, You want a Playstation 3, not an Xbox. the Xbox doesn’t have a blu-ray on it.
I of course allready have a blu-ray player because Disney recognize my status as an A league superblogger. Ahem.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Avarice =-.
@Dan, There you go, then. I’ll just tell my wife that a sOOperblogger tells me I need a blu-ray AND an xbox…
Is this a good time to admit that I don’t own an iPod or any other MP3 player for that matter?
I’m currently having a major eBay selling exercise, and have earned £50.98 so far and have 12 items left to sell. Fortunately I bought some pottery in Ireland over 20 years ago and it appears to have become quite collectable……hurray! There is currently a bidding war going on for those 4 pieces.
Sadly all this money is going towards something quite mundane – repairing the garden shed, which went into rapid decline after my husband left 6 years ago. I know men like sheds, and since I’ve been single for a long time now, I’m working on the Fields of Dreams principle – build it (the shed) and they will come (the eligible men). You never know, it’s worth a try. :-)
@notSupermum, It might work I suppose.
I’m useless at eBay. I always forget to post things off in time and get negative feedback for my sluggish delivery.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Avarice =-.
@Dan, You better not, now you’re selling under my ID.
.-= kerry´s last blog ..I’d steal it if we had anywhere to put it =-.
My only engagement with ebay has been via a camera lens and three CDs by the bloodthirsty butchers. We’re a couple of generations behind on games as well (and the Cube seems to have given up the ghost.
My all conquering perfect game remains Homeworld 2. Only thing I’ve ever seen that credibly reproduces space warfare between huge fleets, Babylon 5 or BSG style.
(I’m not here, by the way. I’m supposed to be preparing for another kind of battle.)
.-= dadwhowrites´s last blog ..Working Lunch #1 =-.
@dadwhowrites, after a nasty experience I’ve resolved never to buy anything from ebay that costs more than I’d be willing to spend on a night out.
The irony is, I had an old style xbox, but in a state of desperation the wife bought me a 360 last Christmas.
I’ve maybe used it 3 times.
.-= Xbox4NappyRash´s last blog ..Purely hypothetical, naturally… =-.
@Xbox4NappyRash, Shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell Kerry.
I still rock my Philips Xpanium mp3 cd player which is about 8 years old but still works perfectly. The many stories I keep hearing about Ipods failiing after only one lousy year keep me away from them. Next to that..I’m just oldskool (oh and I like to just grab a random cd from my cd-rack).
Do you’ve got a link to your list of stuff you’re selling? Why not sell the ps2 ;)
@Arjan, ah but it doesn’t matter that your ipod will break after a year – because you’ll be wanting the next model by then anyhow.
@Dan, well I’ve seen many an eyebrow raised at my archaic machine but I’m just glad it still works.
I used to be good at F1 98 on the PC if that helps.
Well, thats is to say, I won the world F1 championship by driving all the rounds on auto-steer, auto-gears, collision damage set to “None” and with a yellow dotted line around the tracks indicating the best racing line.
I don’t know why they don’t do it that way in the real F1
.-= Gary´s last blog ..On Being Judgemental =-.
@Gary, It’s almost like you’re someone from TRON or something!
PS,
I was also the first person to fly a passenger aircraft into a skyscraper in New York in Flight Simulator 98, I also flew a helicopter into the Statue of Liberty and landed safely many times on the Hudson River.
Who says life doesn’t imitate art ?
.-= Gary´s last blog ..On Being Judgemental =-.
You’ll be surprised how addicting the XBox 360 can be, if you are into playing multiplayer games online, you will get a kick out of xbox live!
If you can wait long enough, you should wait until the holiday season to grab a good deal!
.-= New Dad Chris´s last blog ..8 Cool Facts About Newborn Babies =-.
@New Dad Chris, I don’t do waiting very well unfortunately.
I’m not sure If I’ll play online – as I say I’m an awful computer game player and will get resoundingly thrashed at every turn.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Avarice =-.
My PS2 finally bit the dust the other day, much to the chagrin of my teenage son and his little brother. And the TV is about to go as well. Hell, it’s so old, it’s not even a flatscreen. So we are on a sabbatical on the electronics end of things for a bit. Unless your PS2 is for sale . . .
.-= tysdaddy´s last blog ..Dear Tweakers =-.
@tysdaddy, It crtainly is, although the postage may be a little prohibitive.
check ebay for ps2s though, they are dirt cheap.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Avarice =-.
How about rather than spending £100 on new trousers, you buy yourself a sewing machine with that money, and then alter the ones that you do have!
.-= Clair´s last blog ..London Blog meet – 2nd October 2009 =-.
@Clair, errr… no.
.-= Dan´s last blog ..Avarice =-.
@Dan, Oh go on…make do and mend!
.-= Clair´s last blog ..London Blog meet – 2nd October 2009 =-.
I’ve managed to stop myself from buying any game equipment for the last five years, bar a little PSP, and that doesn’t even count. Now the boy is starting school in September might have a splurg, got to do something while he’s at work.
.-= SingleParentDad´s last blog ..Lost =-.
@SingleParentDad, so far I recommend the Xbox (yes, I bought one. I am pathetic).
I almost bought an Xbox 360 the other day. If I do get one, I can take pictures of it and send you the empty box so at least you can pretend you have one that you won’t play and let sit in the corner gathering dust.
.-= Avitable´s last blog ..The First Day of School =-.
@Avitable, I’m surprised you don’t have one allready to be honest.
You would earn enough off a kidney to send one across the pond to me. I don’t even have tv you know.
.-= SeattleDad´s last blog ..Get Your Babypants On =-.
@SeattleDad, really, no TV? I admire you sir. Unless you are just trying to con me into buying you a new one – in which case you are a cad and a bounder.
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your lovely words (about my dear departed godfather) over at my blog. Sorry that it has taken me ages to get back to you. Life is a bit manic at the mo. I’ve put two and two together (hopefully not ending up with 42!) and Jo has mentioned your name as regards the walk you are all doing on Hadrian’s Wall next year. If we can help at all – be more than happy too! My e-mail is on my blog. No pressure to stay with us…we know the Wall pretty well now so can possibly offer tips/advice? Take care. H.
.-= Hadriana´s last blog ..Best before date? Scanned! =-.
@Hadriana, Jo pointed out your blog to me and suggested we stay with you.
Unfortunately everything was booked by that point, and also you are situated in the middle of one of one of our walking days rather at the end. I’m sorry, as I would have really liked to put some business your way in order to keep it in the blogger family.
There is something you could help us out with though. I’ll contact you via email over the next couple of days. It’s nothing too taxing so don’t worry:) And I’d think no less of you if you declined.
Bleep. Blip. Bleep. Blip.
Xbox. Sheesh.
We have a DS in our house, otherwise we are computer game free. I would like a wii but fear it would gather dust in the corner like yours. I’m still getting your iphone if you die though aren’t I??
.-= Jo Beaufoix´s last blog ..Gluteus Maxemus =-.
@Jo Beaufoix,
a wee what ;)
.-= Arjan´s last blog ..Tsunami vs 9-11 =-.